US Shortens Visa Duration for Foreign Students and Journalists Starting September

ILLUSTRATION UNSPLASH/Claudio Schwarz

JAKARTA - The United States will shorten the validity of visas for foreign students and journalists starting in September. This provision reflects President Donald Trump's policy of tightening immigration rules.

For holders of student and exchange visitor visas, according to the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), their stay is in principle limited to four years.

Then, for foreign journalists/journalists, their stay in the US must not exceed 240 days. Specifically for Chinese citizens, in this category, it is limited to only 90 days.

As reported by ANTARA from Kyodo, Friday, July 17, the new rules will apply to F Visas for international students, J Visas for visitors allowed to participate in student exchange programs, and I Visas for journalists.

If everything goes smoothly, the regulation will come into force 60 days after the notification is officially announced on Friday.

Based on the rules, even though the entry permit is granted for a certain period of time, holders of F, J, and I visas can apply for an extension beyond the initial period. Allowing visa holders of these categories to stay without a time limit in the US is not in line with efforts to protect national security and public safety, the DHS said.

In the notice, the DHS stated that the new regulation would provide additional protection and supervision for these non-immigrant categories.

Therefore, it allows the DHS to better examine whether visa holders meet the requirements for temporary residence in the United States.

Previously, in the last months of Trump's first term in 2020, the US attempted a similar change.

However, the proposal at that time received a strong rejection from higher education institutions and many other institutions, so it was canceled in 2021 by the then President Joe Biden's government.